Podcast in which I interview fascinating people from within the world of control theory/ control engineering. Primarily aimed at PhD/masters students but can hopefully be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in control.
New episodes released monthly

by Lucy Hodgins

Podcast in which I interview fascinating people from within the world of control theory/ control engineering. Primarily aimed at PhD/masters students but can hopefully be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in control. New episodes released monthly
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/25/2024
See how your podcast performs across key metrics

Recommendations available
Unlock the full report to see detailed tips
Recommendations available
Unlock the full report to see detailed tips
Unlock comprehensive insights including:
See how your show performs across every key metric
High authority scores make your podcast more attractive to industry leaders and influencers who want to appear on credible shows.
Sponsors look for podcasts with proven authority and engagement. Your score demonstrates your podcast's value to potential partners.
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses helps you make data-driven decisions to expand your listener base effectively.
Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.

July 1, 2026
<p>In this episode I have the pleasure of attending the CONTROL2026 conference, and bring you along with me! This conference was the largest gatheringof control engineers in the UK recent years, co-organized by the ACE network and UK Automatic Control Council (UKACC). Join me as I explore the ACE network and some of the fabulous control engineering research taking place across theUK!</p><p>Join the ACE network!: <a href="https://ukcontrol.org/join-ace">https://ukcontrol.org/join-ace</a></p><p> </p><p>You can find the transcript for this episode at: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1131VDAX37W9GOJ87c0PZqXt83VMds1rAdapr1HdgN3Q/edit?usp=sharing">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1131VDAX37W9GOJ87c0PZqXt83VMds1rAdapr1HdgN3Q/edit?usp=sharing</a></p><p> </p><p>Follow the podcast on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffee-and-control-podcast/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffee-and-control-podcast/</a></p><p>Or connect with me directly: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hodgins-733a30175/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hodgins-733a30175/</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Control 2026: <a href="https://control2026.ukcontrol.org/">https://control2026.ukcontrol.org/</a></p><p>Conference proceedings: <a href="https://control2026.ukcontrol.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Control-2026-Proceedings-Booklet.pdf">https://control2026.ukcontrol.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Control-2026-Proceedings-Booklet.pdf</a></p><p>ACE network: <a href="https://ukcontrol.org/">https://ukcontrol.org/</a></p><p>UKACC: <a href="https://ukacc.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/">https://ukacc.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/</a></p><p>IFAC: <a href="https://www.ifac-control.org/">https://www.ifac-control.org/</a></p><p>Pramod Khargonekar: <a href="https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/khargonekar/">https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/khargonekar/</a></p><p>Slides from his talk: <a href="https://bpb-us-e2.wpmucdn.com/faculty.sites.uci.edu/dist/8/644/files/2026/06/PPK_UKControl_Keynote_Final.pdf">https://coffeecontrollinks.short.gy/yaf5rk</a></p><p>Norbert Weiner: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norbert-Wiener">https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norbert-Wiener</a></p><p>Automony vs automation: <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-020-01004-z">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-020-01004-z</a></p><p>InControl episode: <a href="https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/11513053-ep6-norbert-wiener-and-cybernetics">https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/11513053-ep6-norbert-wiener-and-cybernetics</a></p><p>Macy Conference proceedings: <a href="http://cybernetic-bookshelf.org:8083/book/2636">http://cybernetic-bookshelf.org:8083/book/2636</a>Dartmouth conference: <a href="https://opendigitalai.org/en/the-dartmouth-conference-1956-the-big-bang-of-ai/">https://opendigitalai.org/en/the-dartmouth-conference-1956-the-big-bang-of-ai/</a></p><p>John McCarthy: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-McCarthy">https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-McCarthy</a></p><p>Daniel Coca: <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/staff/profile/danielcoca.html">https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/staff/profile/danielcoca.html</a></p><p>EPSRC: <a href="https://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/">https://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/</a></p><p>Interview with Andy Lawrence: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6BvPXw3YyoqdsvbQ573OF1">https://open.spotify.com/episode/6BvPXw3YyoqdsvbQ573OF1</a></p><p>William Heath: <a href="https://www.bangor.ac.uk/staff/scse/william-heath-680178/en">https://www.bangor.ac.uk/staff/scse/william-heath-680178/en</a></p><p>Alessandro Astolfi: <a href="https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/a.astolfi">https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/a.astolfi</a></p><p>Antonis Papachristodoulou: <a href="https://eng.ox.ac.uk/people/antonis-papachristodoulou">https://eng.ox.ac.uk/people/antonis-papachristodoulou</a></p><p>Stephen Duncan: <a href="https://www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-stephen-duncan/">https://www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-stephen-duncan/</a></p><p>Francesca Boem: <a href="https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/f.boem">https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/f.boem</a></p><p>EDI survey: <a href="https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=yRJQnBa2wkSpF2aBT74-hyrBNzE3vqFAgmzn8RVGrRVUM0VPT0E4Q1FCNlBVWVo3WU5JV1JHUlIxWS4u&route=shorturl">https://coffeecontrollinks.short.gy/ahijky</a></p><p>Mentorship scheme sign-up form: <a href="https://ukcontrol.org/ace-network-mentor-scheme">https://ukcontrol.org/ace-network-mentor-scheme</a></p><p>ACE position paper: <a href="https://ukcontrol.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ACE-Position-Paper.pdf">https://ukcontrol.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/ACE-Position-Paper.pdf</a></p><p>Network + survey: <a href="https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=yRJQnBa2wkSpF2aBT74-hyrBNzE3vqFAgmzn8RVGrRVUM1pNMEZFREExUTBJQ1dRUkJTNFRGNEJPVi4u&route=shorturl">https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=yRJQnBa2wkSpF2aBT74-hyrBNzE3vqFAgmzn8RVGrRVUM1pNMEZFREExUTBJQ1dRUkJTNFRGNEJPVi4u&route=shorturl</a></p><p> </p><p></p><p>Claude shutdown: <a href="https://www.ithinkdiff.com/claude-fable-5-disabled-us-government/">https://www.ithinkdiff.com/claude-fable-5-disabled-us-government/</a></p><p>Brian Douglas podcast: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0yUF9sf0cM2K9AeoQzoHal">https://open.spotify.com/episode/0yUF9sf0cM2K9AeoQzoHal</a></p><p> </p><p>Chao Gu: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chao-gu-609073220/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/chao-gu-609073220/</a></p><p>Petri nets: <a href="http://www.petri-net.de/">http://www.petri-net.de/</a></p><p>AEGEAN: <a href="https://en.about.aegeanair.com/company/fleet/">https://en.about.aegeanair.com/company/fleet/</a></p><p>Liam Hallinan: <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LmZyKIIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LmZyKIIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao</a></p><p>Salma Iraky: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/salmassabry/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/salmassabry/</a></p><p>TERRA github: <a href="https://github.com/sssabry/tera">https://github.com/sssabry/tera</a></p><p>Anton Selivanov: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anton-Selivanov">https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anton-Selivanov</a></p><p>Allan Nascimento (Multi-horizon MPC author): <a href="https://ieeexplore-ieee-org.soton.idm.oclc.org/author/867072138905292">https://ieeexplore-ieee-org.soton.idm.oclc.org/author/867072138905292</a></p><p> </p><p>Miroslav Krstic: <a href="https://flyingv.ucsd.edu/">https://flyingv.ucsd.edu/</a></p><p>Neural operators: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.08481">https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.08481</a></p><p>Mohammad Adballah: <a href="https://www.lboro.ac.uk/schools/meme/staff/phd/mohammad-abdallah/">https://www.lboro.ac.uk/schools/meme/staff/phd/mohammad-abdallah/</a></p><p> </p><p>Luke Rickard: <a href="https://www.lukerickard.co.uk/">https://www.lukerickard.co.uk/</a></p><p>Will Rohde: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wfmrohde/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/wfmrohde/</a></p><p>Dan Hobson: <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5xp9hs/mr-daniel-hobson">https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5xp9hs/mr-daniel-hobson</a></p><p>Anthony Rossiter: <a href="https://ieeecss.org/contact/anthony-rossiter">https://ieeecss.org/contact/anthony-rossiter</a></p><p>Control101 toolbox: <a href="https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/130439-control-101-toolbox">https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/130439-control-101-toolbox</a></p>

June 7, 2026
<p>In the second part of my interview with the incredibly talented Carmen Amo Alonso we discuss her fascinating work at the intersection of AI and control, examining topics such as:</p><p>Using tools from control theory to analyse and design AI systems</p><p>Controlling large language models to guarantee a particular sentiment for their output</p><p>Using vision-language-action models to control robots using language</p><p>and a whole lot more!</p><p> </p><p>You can find the transcript for this episode at: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ph1yaQuV_ybRM8h9rU5Uvmz9eB5Ar4HVhcBnc7b7zJ8/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ph1yaQuV_ybRM8h9rU5Uvmz9eB5Ar4HVhcBnc7b7zJ8/edit?usp=sharing</a></p><p>Follow the podcast on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffee-and-control-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffee-and-control-podcast/</a></p><p>Or connect with me directly: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hodgins-733a30175/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hodgins-733a30175/</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>The architecture of language: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApC0AWWTajU" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApC0AWWTajU</a></p><p>Diffusion models: <a href="https://the-principles-of-diffusion-models.github.io/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://the-principles-of-diffusion-models.github.io/</a></p><p>Skip connection paper: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.10609" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.10609</a> </p><p>Review of state-space models in AI: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16899" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.16899</a> </p><p>3 Blue 1 Brown video on transformers: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZofJX0v4M" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjZofJX0v4M</a></p><p>Dynamical systems framework paper: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15731" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15731</a> </p><p>Designing sequence models: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09389v1" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.09389v1</a></p><p>Controlling LLM output: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15454v3" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15454v3</a></p><p>Controllability of LLMs: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.05637v1" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.05637v1</a></p><p> </p><p>Vision-language-action model paper: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.05487v1" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.05487v1</a></p><p>NARRATE: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.10762" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.10762</a></p><p>DEMONSTRATE: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12855v1" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12855v1</a></p><p>Domitilla Del Vecchio: <a href="https://meche.mit.edu/people/faculty/ddv@MIT.EDU" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://meche.mit.edu/people/faculty/ddv@MIT.EDU</a></p><p>Biomolecular feedback systems book: <a href="https://www.fbswiki.org/wiki/index.php/Biomolecular_Feedback_Systems" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.fbswiki.org/wiki/index.php/Biomolecular_Feedback_Systems</a></p><p>Mathias Foo episode: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1G3vhRoeenTWRrEwauT0ne" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://open.spotify.com/episode/1G3vhRoeenTWRrEwauT0ne</a></p><p>inControl episodes: Mario di Bernardo: <a href="https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/19167890-ep44-mario-di-bernardo-from-circuits-to-cells-and-swarms-control-meets-complexity" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/19167890-ep44-mario-di-bernardo-from-circuits-to-cells-and-swarms-control-meets-complexity</a></p><p>Mustafa Khammash: <a href="https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/12648716-ep11-mustafa-khammash-cybergenetics" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/12648716-ep11-mustafa-khammash-cybergenetics</a></p><p>John Doyle: <a href="https://ieeecss.org/contact/john-doyle" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://ieeecss.org/contact/john-doyle</a></p><p>InControl episode: <a href="https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/12841020-ep12-john-doyle-part-i-a-pioneer-s-guide-to-robust-control-the-past-present-and-future" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/1632769/episodes/12841020-ep12-john-doyle-part-i-a-pioneer-s-guide-to-robust-control-the-past-present-and-future</a></p><p>Jerome Sieber: <a href="https://jerome.sieber.io/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://jerome.sieber.io/</a></p>

June 2, 2026
<p>In this episode I talk to the very wonderful Carmen Amo Alonso about her (award-winning) PhD research on distributed and localised MPC. We also cover super interesting and useful concepts such as system-level synthesis and ADMM, as well as her internship working at Tesla!</p><p><br></p><p>You can access the transcript at: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SErvHtKoE18QzelHDUh9im6AeG3zKPWZLRoNGx5BUyg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SErvHtKoE18QzelHDUh9im6AeG3zKPWZLRoNGx5BUyg/edit?usp=sharing</a></p><p><br></p><p>Follow the podcast on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffee-and-control-podcast/">https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffee-and-control-podcast/</a></p><p>Or connect with me directly: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hodgins-733a30175/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-hodgins-733a30175/</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Carmen: <a href="https://camoalon.github.io/">https://camoalon.github.io/</a></p><p>JPL: <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/</a></p><p>John Doyle: <a href="https://ieeecss.org/contact/john-doyle">https://ieeecss.org/contact/john-doyle</a></p><p>Feedback in biological control: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9867859">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9867859</a></p><p><a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9867794">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9867794</a></p><p>Thesis: <a href="https://thesis.caltech.edu/15262/3/Carmen_Amo_Alonso_Caltech_PhD_Thesis.pdf">https://thesis.caltech.edu/15262/3/Carmen_Amo_Alonso_Caltech_PhD_Thesis.pdf</a></p><p>Distributed localised MPC paper: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9939038">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9939038</a></p><p> </p><p>Professor Melanie Zeilinger: <a href="https://nccr-automation.ch/about/people/melanie-zeilinger-0">https://nccr-automation.ch/about/people/melanie-zeilinger-0</a></p><p>SLS for robust nonlinear optimal control: <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.04943">https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.04943</a> </p><p>Professor Nikolai Matni: <a href="https://nikolaimatni.github.io/">https://nikolaimatni.github.io/</a> </p><p>System-level synthesis tutorial: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.01634">https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.01634</a> </p><p> </p><p>YouTube videos on DLMPC: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF2Wbriy2Zg">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF2Wbriy2Zg</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhtuGZp8QM0&t=302s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhtuGZp8QM0&t=302s</a></p><p>ADMM survey paper: <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.03700">https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.03700</a></p><p>Professor James Anderson: <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/~ja3451/">https://www.columbia.edu/~ja3451/</a> </p><p> </p><p>Data-driven DLMCP: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9772975">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9772975</a></p><p>Willems fundamental lemma: <a href="https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/262195/1/PersistencyExcitation.pdf">https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/262195/1/PersistencyExcitation.pdf</a></p><p>Paolo Rapisarda episode: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/076dEw28abILPAbT5qA6aw">https://open.spotify.com/episode/076dEw28abILPAbT5qA6aw</a></p><p> </p><p>Implementing DLMP on GPUs: <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9831839">https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9831839</a></p><p>Clubes de Ciencia: Mexico: <a href="https://clubesdeciencia.mx/">https://clubesdeciencia.mx/</a> </p><p>Peru: <a href="https://clubesdecienciaperu.org/">https://clubesdecienciaperu.org/</a></p><p>Terry Sejnowski: <a href="https://biology.ucsd.edu/research/faculty/tsejnowski">https://biology.ucsd.edu/research/faculty/tsejnowski</a></p>
Guests from recent episodes — sign up to see every guest that has ever appeared on this show.
Alessandro Abate
Guest
Maegan Tucker
Guest
Joe Moeller
Guest
Rodolphe Sepulchre
Guest
Raj Velichete
Guest
Vijeth Hebber
Guest
John Doyle
Guest
Brooks Butler
Guest
Anastasia Bizyaeva
Guest
Phil E Paré
Guest
Umar Niazi
Guest
Urmee Maitra
Guest
Discover related shows you might enjoy
Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Podcast in which I interview fascinating people from within the world of control theory/ control engineering. Primarily aimed at PhD/masters students but can hopefully be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in control.
New episodes released monthly
This podcast updates daily.
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.